Multi-access online game system and method for controlling game for use in the multi-access online game system

• US 9,555,329 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: Kim, Hyojoon, Kim, Seonghun
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUFFY, DAVID W
• Application Number:
  US11/853,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20080070696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,430 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/358 Adapting the game course according to the network or server load, e.g. for reducing latency due to different connection speeds between clients
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/534 for network load management, e.g. bandwidth optimization, latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A multi-access online game system and a game control method for use in the same are disclosed. The game control method is applied to a multi-access online game system which is connected to at least one user client and includes a first server and at least one second server. The method includes: receiving an event message associated with a game from a first user client, wherein the first server receives the game-associated event message when the game-associated event message is not the real-time message, and the at least one second server receive the game-associated event message when the game-associated event message is the real-time message; determining a second user client where the real-time message is to be received; and transmitting the real-time message to the second user client. The real-time message is processed by the second server, so that the load of the first server is reduced.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented game control method to manage a multi-access online game system for a multi-access online game, which comprises at least one user client, a first server, and at least one second server, the method comprising:

the first user client comprising a processor configured for;

receiving a game-associated event message during play of the multi-access online game on the first user client;

determining whether the game-associated event message is a real-time message that requires immediate transmission to a second user client based on an event category of the game-associated event message;

sending the game-associated event message to the first server when the game-associated event message is determined not to be the real-time message; and

sending the game-associated event message directly to the at least one second server when the game-associated event message is determined to be the real-time message; and

the at least one second server comprising a processor configured for selectively transmitting the real-time message to only some players from among online players of the multi-access online game by;

determining the second user client where the real-time message is to be received; and

transmitting the real-time message to the second user client,

wherein the determining of the second user client comprises;

recognizing location information, on the multi-access online game, of a first player character corresponding to the first user client; and

upon recognizing the location information of the first player character, determining a user client corresponding to a second player character, existing within a predetermined distance from the first player character, to be the second user client.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether the game-associated event message is the real-time message is decided by a game application of the multi-access online game installed into the first user client.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the real-time message comprises at least one of a moving message of a player character, a collision message, and a chatting message for another user adjacent to the player character.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

before transmitting the real-time message to the second user client, buffering the real-time message;

determining whether a predetermined time expires after the buffering the real-time message; and

when the predetermined time expires, discarding the buffered real-time message.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

upon receiving a next real-time message from the first user client, overwriting the buffered real-time message with the next real-time message.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a number of the at least one second server is equal to a number of divided areas of a game space.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising an executable program, which when executed, causes performance of the following steps:

receiving a game-associated event message generated during play of a multi-access online game on a first user client as a real-time message based on an event category of the game-associated event message; and

selectively transmitting the real-time message to only some players from among online players of the multi-access online game by;

determining a second user client where the real-time message is to be received; and

transmitting the real-time message to the second user client,

wherein the determining of the second user client comprises;

recognizing location information, on the multi-access online game, of a first player character corresponding to the first user client; and

upon recognizing the location information of the first player character, determining a user client corresponding to a second player character, existing within a predetermined distance from the first player character, to be the second user client.

8. A game control method that employs a game application installed into at least one user client which gains access to a multi-access online game system including a first server and at least one second server to play a game, the method comprising:

a first user client comprising a processor configured for;

receiving game command information during play of the game;

determining whether an event created by the received game command is a real-time event that requires immediate notice based on an event category of the game-associated event message;

generating a real-time message with respect to the real-time event, and transmitting the generated real-time message directly to any one of the at least one second server when the event is determined to be the real-time event; and

alternatively transmitting a message associated with the event to the first server when the event is determined not to be the real-time event; and

the at least one second server comprising a processor configured for selectively transmitting the real-time message to only some players from among online players of the multi-access online game by;

determining a second user client where the real-time message is to be transmitted; and

transmitting the real-time message to a game application to the second user client,

wherein the determining of the second user client comprises;

recognizing location information, on the game, of a first player character corresponding to the first user client; and

upon recognizing the location information of the first player character, determining a user client corresponding to a second player character, existing within a predetermined distance from the first player character, to be the second user client.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

a number of the at least one second server is equal to a number of divided areas of a game space, and

the game application of the first user client transmits real-time messages to the second server controlling an area including a player character running on the first user client.

10. A multi-access online game system for controlling a game of player characters corresponding to a plurality of user clients comprising:

a first user client comprising a processor configured to receive a game-associated event message during play of a multi-access online game, determine whether the game-associated event message is a real-time message that requires immediate notice to a second user client based on an event category of the game-associated event message, sending the game-associated event message to the one of a game server and at least one distributed server according to a game logic;

the game server configured to receive event messages associated with a game from a first user client, and configured to process the received game-associated event messages according to the game logic;

a database server configured to receive status change information comprising status change information of each player character from the game server, and configured to store the received status change information in a database; and

the at least one distributed server configured to receive a real-time message among the game-associated event messages from the first user client, configured to selectively transmit the real-time message to only some players from among online players of the multi-access online, configured to determine the second user client where the real-time message is to be received, and configured to transmit the real-time message to the second user client,

wherein it is determined whether a message from the first user client is the real-time message that requires immediate transmission to the second user client, and the message is sent to the game server when the message is determined not to be the real-time message, or is alternatively sent directly to the at least one distributed server when the message is determined to be the real-time message, and

wherein the determining of the second user client, by the at least one distributed server, comprises recognizing location information, on the game, of a first player character corresponding to the first user client, and upon recognizing the location information of the first player character, determining a user client corresponding to a second player character, existing within a predetermined distance from the first player character, to be the second user client.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein whether the message is the real-time message is decided by a game application installed at the first user client.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein:

when the game is a multi-access online game, the real-time message comprises at least one of a moving message of a player character, a collision message, and a chatting message for another user adjacent to the player character.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the at least one distributed server is configured to render a player object which appears or disappears for each accessing user client, and to transmit/receive the real-time message to/from the accessing user client,

wherein the at least one distributed server comprises;

a transmission-object decision unit configured to determine the second user client where the real-time message is to be transmitted; and

an online-player character information manager configured to manage location information of player characters, that exist in an online status, to determine a transmission object.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the transmission-object decision unit receives the location information from the online-player character information manager, and determines a user client corresponding to a player character existing within a predetermined distance from a player character corresponding to the first user client to be the second user client on the basis of the received location information.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the player object buffers the real-time message to be transmitted to the second user client, receives a next real-time message from the first user client, and overwrites the buffered real-time message with the next real-time message.